The chill is spreading across the universe of Final Fantasy XIV... Developed and published by Square Enix, the Evercold expansion will continue the story of this online role-playing game on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series et Nintendo Switch 2 en janvier 2027. Lors du Fan Festival organisé à Berlin, l’éditeur japonais a présenté une version plus longue de sa première bande-annonce et plusieurs contenus qui accompagneront cette nouvelle aventure.
This expansion will lead players to the Fourth Reflection, a world ravaged by an unrelenting cold snap. Its inhabitants have fled the surface, seeking refuge aboard gigantic ships capable of holding entire cities, forests, lakes, and other natural spaces.
The new trailer picks up the initial footage released in the spring and expands it with several never-before-seen sequences. It showcases the frozen lands of the Fourth Reflection, as well as the gigantic flying cities where the world's inhabitants now reside.
Among the highlighted locations is Naglfar, a sea-linked vessel that houses the city of Fargarth. Another vessel, named Hringhorni, features a more industrial aesthetic, marked by fire, metal and machinery. Square Enix assures that these areas will maintain the usual scale of Final Fantasy XIV zones, even though they’re set aboard airborne structures.
The trailer also gives a first look at the Bastion, one of the two new playable classes coming to Evercold. The character wields two large shields strapped to his arms, tools for both defense and striking at foes.
Square Enix did not release a full, official French synopsis for this latest briefing. Still, the details shared help clarify where the story kicks off.
After the finale of the previous arc, the Warrior of Light heads to the Fourth Reflection. The realm has been nearly wiped clean of warmth, iced over to the point that its residents live among the clouds. A new threat now jeopardizes the fragile balance these communities had forged.
Evercold will kick off a new chapter in the Final Fantasy XIV saga. It won’t be designed as a standalone adventure: players will need to have progressed through the earlier expansions to follow the main storyline.
Final Fantasy XIV remains a massively multiplayer online role-playing game in which thousands of players share the same world. Players can create their own character, follow an epic storyline, explore diverse regions, and take on enemies alone or in groups.
Evercold will add two new jobs. The first, the Bastion, is built to shield its team in battle. It can block attacks with its shield, strike in close quarters, and unleash magical ranged shots. Some of its techniques will also heal or bolster its partners. This job starts at level 90 and can be unlocked in Limsa Lominsa.
The second job will be geared toward ranged physical attacks. Square Enix has not yet revealed its name or how it will function. Its unveiling is scheduled for the upcoming Fan Festival in Japan, at the end of October 2026.
Story progression should feel less linear as well. After the opening region, players will be free to tackle the three subsequent zones in any order. That choice ensures you won’t follow the exact same path as everyone else.
One of the conference’s key announcements is a new eight-player raid drawn from the Final Fantasy VII Remake universe. Titled Beyond the River of Life, it will arrive shortly after Evercold launches, with patch 8.01.
A raid is a series of battles designed for team play. This one will be split into three blocks of four encounters, released gradually with each update. Several creators tied to Final Fantasy VII are involved in the project, including writer Kazushige Nojima and artist Tetsuya Nomura. The characters and enemies involved have not yet been revealed.
Evercold will be the sixth major expansion for Final Fantasy XIV Online, following Dawntrail. It is slated to launch on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game and its text are available in French, but a subscription remains required after the free trial period.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version of the base game will release ahead of the expansion, on August 4, 2026. Square Enix is planning roughly a one-month free subscription on this console to stagger players' connections at launch. Players will be able to access the same servers as on other platforms.
A collector's edition of Evercold was also unveiled. It will include an illustrated box, a figurine, a plush, a keychain, a tapestry, and a bundle of digital goodies. Square Enix has not yet announced when pre-orders will open or the price in France.
The Berlin presentation gave us a clearer sense of the setting and the key additions in Evercold, while the full expansion hasn’t been shown yet. The next Fan Festival should fill in the blanks with the second playable class and the final version of the trailer.
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